Andy Nowak Memorial Ride planned for cancer research

A memorial bicycle ride being organized in the memory of a Casco man will benefit the cause he most believed in: cancer research.

Andy Nowak was participating in the Great Cycle Challenge to help fight childhood cancer when a driver driving toward the sunrise didn’t see the 48-year-old man on a bicycle riding on the shoulder of State Highway 54 last June 21.

Nowak planned to donate 10 cents for every mile up to 500 miles that he rode on his bike in June. He had also asked his friends on Facebook to donate to his effort. The previous year he had ridden 686 miles for the Great Cycle Challenge, donating more than $1,000 to the organization.

The Andy Nowak Memorial Ride on June 24 will begin and end at Casco Village Park, with routes of 15, 30, 60 and 100 miles. The century ride begins at 7 a.m., 60-mile ride at 9 a.m., and the 15- and 30-mile rides at noon.

All of the proceeds from the ride will benefit the Children’s Family Research Fund, which works closely with researchers to fund innovative new projects quickly so that promising discoveries can continue uninterrupted. The researchers share their findings with more than 9,000 experts around the globe in an effort to accelerate discoveries.

The cost to register for the Andy Nowak Memorial Ride is $25 through June 20 and $30 after that. Participants can register online at www.bikereg.com/andy-nowak.

About The Author

Award-winning longtime wordsmith, journalist and podcaster, Warren is a reporter, editor and storyteller who lives near the shores of Green Bay with his wife, two golden retrievers, and a couple of cats.